Focus: The Emergence of the Airport City in the United States

In developing countries, the airport city concept is being used as an urban planning tool to accommodate strong economic and population growth. In the United States, the airport city concept is viewed as a means of increasing nonairline revenues amid the uncertainty of federal funding, as well as promoting economic development and job creation. This Focus piece examines U.S. applications of the airport city concept. For a discussion of the airport city in the developing world, please see our November 2012 compendium “Adapting to a Changing Global Economy” also available on our website.